NRL pre-season: New Tigers recruits Jack Bird, Royce Hunt ready to take revenge on former clubs in 2025

Jack Bird believes Wests Tigers can be a finals dark horse in 2025, as the unwanted Dragon sends former coach Shane Flanagan a Magic Round message.

Royce Hunt. Picture: NRL Photos/Gregg Porteous

Revenge, redemption and a top eight berth are on the menu for Wests Tigers star recruits Jack Bird and Royce Hunt.

Bird agreed to join Wests Tigers on a two-year deal after St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan told him he was no longer wanted at the club.

Bird and Flanagan won a premiership together in 2016 at Cronulla and then reunited at the Dragons last season, but the 29-year old insisted there was no bad blood between the pair.

“What made me sign here? The Dragons didn’t want me, to start with,” Bird said.

“I understand it’s a business. There was no bad blood there. I still have close relationships at the Dragons, I played under Flanno (Flanagan) for a while but I’m not looking back.”

However, he does have one date in the future circled in his calendar – the first time he takes on his former side in 2025.

“Yeah, that’s Magic Round so I’m looking forward to that. I actually ran into Flanno a few weeks ago, I told him ‘you’re going to regret it’. Nah, that’s a gee up,” Bird laughed.

“But he reckons he’s going to make me make 80 tackles (in the middle). I’ll make 30 tackles and come off.”

Jack Bird has the Magic Round fixture pencilled in. Photo: Tigers

Former Cronulla prop Hunt also has an eye on the round 8 clash with the Sharks, when at least one former teammate has already put a target on his back.

“The boys are already messaging me from the Sharks,” Hunt said.

“A couple of years ago, we were playing in NSW Cup and I ran over Brit Nikora, so he wants his redemption.

“He said he’ll cop six weeks for that redemption.”

After three straight wooden spoons, coach Benji Marshall has been unapologetic in laying down the law this pre-season. Marshall issued breach notices and warnings to five players, including Latu Fainu and Heath Mason, for failing to meet weight and fitness standards.

Wanting to help drive the new standards, Hunt cut his off-season break short and returned to training three weeks early.

Hunt revealed Marshall’s training sessions rivalled the gruelling summers he endured under Ricky Stuart at Canberra.

“I thought why not get in among the boys and try to set a standard for the boys,” Hunt said.

“We weren’t allowed to complain about the heat so I was asking for a jacket while we were out there.

“Canberra was pretty hard, but I’ll say this pre-season has been pretty tough too.

“There has been a good standard set by the young boys early on and it’s our job as the older boys to take that standards up a bit too. The boys are flying.”

Bird and Hunt are two of the six new faces set to line-up for round 1 in 2025 after a massive recruitment drive which also landed four-time premiership winner Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva, Jeral Skelton and Terrell May.

Bird believed the revamped roster was now good enough to challenge for a top-eight spot, which would be the first Tigers finals appearance since 2011.

Royce Hunt is ready to fight fire with fire against his old club. Photo: Wests Tigers

“I couldn’t give two rats that they’ve won three wooden spoons,” Bird said.

“Our goal is to make the top eight. We haven’t been there for a while, it’s going to be tough ask but we have the team to do it.

“You look at the signings we have made at this club.

“I see a bright future at this club. I want to come here turn the culture around and try to make finals again, I think we can do that.

“I think we are going to surprise a lot of people.”

Originally published as NRL pre-season: New Tigers recruits Jack Bird, Royce Hunt ready to take revenge on former clubs in 2025